Questions & Answers

(1) Off-the-cuff. (2) No imminent threats. (3) Four more years for expansion and secular bull? (4) Retail sales making new highs along with earned incomes. (5) Will consumers drive right past latest pump price spike? (6) The IMF’s global economic forecast is subdued. (7) Might Europe surprise to the upside? (8) Less bang per yuan of borrowing in China. (9) Analysts see rising profit margins for Consumer Staples, Financials, Industrials, and Utilities. (10) Not so Great Rotation, so far. (11) Bernanke says Fed policy will remain ultraeasy even if QE is tapered. (12) Focus on overweight-rated Retailers.